Rubber bearing



Feb. 2, 1937. A. HoLLANDr-:R

RUBBER BEARING 'Fi1ed Dec. 11, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 1 dindon, y

INVENTOR. BYv f@ mw A TTORNEYS.

Feb. 2, 1937. A HQLLANDER I I 2,069,367

RUBBER BEARING' Filed Dec. ll, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -28 v l 27S-8 y /eaola@ IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT l- OFFICE RUBBER BEARING Application December 11, 1935, Serial No. 53,895 1o claims. (01.308-121) This invention relates to soft rubber bearings of the water lubricated type. More particularly held in place by means of a suitable spider and are sometimes provided`r with a series of perforations or grooves to permit water to flow through the bearing and lubricate it. The trouble with the bearings in use heretofore has been the destruction of the bearings when starting the pump owing to the failure of the operator to thoroughly lubricate or prime the bearings withvvater before starting the pump. This trouble is particularly apt to be encountered in very deep wells Where it takes the Water from the pump at the bottom of the Well an appreciable time to reach and lubricate the bearings.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a bearing construction which is self-priming and which will insure that the bearings will be' properly lubricated at all times, even when' the pump is started and before the water from the pump has reached the bearings. Y Y

Other objects and advantages will be apparent froml the following specification and drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation taken through one of the bearings and spider in the column ofv a deep Well pump, on the lines A, O, C of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on line D-D of Figure 1.

. Figure 3 is an elevation of a rubber bearing suchf as is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line B-B of Figure 3. Y

i Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation taken through a bearing supported in a y spider-coupling of a modified design.

column are indicated at' I and 2 joined together .s the bearings are stationary. The bearings are.

by a, special spider-coupling 3. The coupling 3 is provided with webs 4 supporting acentral annular hub portion 5 adapted to receive a `cylindrical sleeve 6. The sleeve 6 is preferably made of brassor other rust-resisting metal and is provided with a series of perforations I4. The sleeve v6 is provided with suitable means for preventing relative rotation between the sleeve and hub 5, which, in the present instance is a pair of out- Wardly extending nubs 'I and 8 adapted to be received in coresponding recesses 9 formed in the upper surface of hub 5. The sleeve 6 is centered in and spaced from the hub 5 by means of a resilient ring I0 preferably made of relatively soft rubber. The ring I0 is received in an annular recess I I formed in the innerv face of hub 5. Ring ID is of greater thickness than the depth of recess II so .that the sleeve 6 is spaced from hub 5 as shown at I2. The ring I0 is provided with series of grooves I3 formed axially in the inner face thereof. Byl making the ring I 0 of resilient material,` such as rubber, a flexible mounting is provided for the bearing, thus greatly increasing the life of the bearing in service.

The soft rubber bearing is indicated at I5 and consists of a tubular sleeve adapted to t tightly and non-rotatably within the metal sleeve 6. The pump shaft I6 makes a close running nt with the b ore I9 of the bearing I5. A series of flats I'I are formed in the outer surface of the rubber bearing I5. 'I'he flats I'I are provided with per- -forations I8 extending through to the bore of the bearing. When the bearing is pressed into the perforated metal sleeve 6 the flats I'I co-opcrate with the walls of sleeve 6 to provide pockets or reservoirs for Water. To this end the perforations I4 `in sleeve 6 are so spaced as to be near the top of the pockets. The pockets communicate with the inner surface of the bearing throughv the perforations I8 to permit Water to pass from the pockets to the bearing surface for lubrication. Because the shaft I6 makes a close.

fit with the bearing, which close t might prevent the. entrance of Water into the ockets I'I, the sleeve 6 is spaced from the yspider ub 5 as shown at I2 (by means of the grooved ring I0) so that water can flow through the space I2 and grooves I3, through the perforations I4 in sleeve 6 and into the pocketsA I'I.`

When the pump is in operation Water enters lthe pockets II in the manner described above and lubricates the surface of the bearing I5. When the pump is stopped, the pockets or reservoirs I1 serve to hold a supply of water until the pump is started again. Because the bearings I5 are located in the column of the well, very little evaporation takes place and the reservoirs will hold water for a very long time. When the pump is started, the normal vibration of the shaft i6 is sufficient to cause the soft rubber bearing to yield suffciently to force water out through the perforations i8 to the surface of the bearing. Thus it is not necessary to prime the bearings by pouring water down the well before starting the pump, as is necessary with bearings of the type used heretofore. The danger of damaging or destroying the bearings when starting the pump is therefore eliminated.

Figure 5 shows a modified form of coupling 20 provided with webs2 l supporting a tubular hub 22. The hub 22 is provided with a series of perforations 23, preferably arranged in radial rows, the rows being spaced apart along the vertical axis of the hub a distance such that the perfo-V rations will register with the upper portion of the pockets I1 in the rubber bearing l5. The bearing l5 is pressed tightly into the hub 22 and makes a snug rotating fit with the pump shaft I6.

The term soft rubber as used herein means rubber of the hardness in general use for water lubricated rubber bearings other than so-called hard rubber bearings. Soft rubber bearings are noted for resistance to abrasion whereas hard rubber bearings are not. Good commercial soft rubber bearings have a hardness of about 65 to '70 with a Scott tester although the hardness may vary through a considerable range and still be known as soft,

Although the rubber used in water lubricated bearings is soft in the sense that it withstands abrasion, it provides a bearing which is relatively rigid with respect to distortion due to shaft vibration.. Thus, it is necessary, (in order to permit the necessary movement of the rubber walls which squeezes the water out of the pockets) to reduce the rubber wall thickness to such a degree that the walls will flex readily whenunder radial stress. This is accomplished in the bearings shown in the drawings by forming the pockets in the bearing rather than in the spider or supporting member. The pockets themselves reduce the Wall thickness to such an extent that the bearing ilexes readily while providing a sufficient bearing support for the shaft. 'Ihis result is most easily accomplished by forming the bearings as shown, in the shape of cylinders provided with pockets in the outer surface of the cylinder formed by the flats I1, the flats being separated from each other, longitudinally, by wallsor flanges having circular outer faces conforming to the outer surface of the cylinder. Although the bearing shown in Figs. i to 5 is provided with four flats in each radial plane, the bearing could be made with any number of hats, each forming a separate pocket, or with an annular circumferential groove forming a single pocket. The series of ats is preferred to the circumferential `groove because the pockets so formed confine the water against any appreciable lateral flow, thuscausing the water to be more readily squeezed out when the bearing is distorted by radial pressure.

The pockets i1 shown in the bearings l5 of Figures 1 to 5, inclusive, are formed in the rubber bearing. While this is the preferred design, because it provides a very flexible pocket having three of its four walls formed of rubber, it is pos'- sible to form the pocket in the supporting sleeve o`r hub as shown in Figure 6. In this case the co`upling 24 is provided with webs 25 supporting a hub 2U. The hub 2l il provided with 561188 of recesses or pockets 21. The hub 21 is provided with openings 28 communicating the upper portion of each pocket 21 with the exterior of the hub to permit the entrance of water into the pocket. The rubber bearing 29 is a tubular sleeve fitting tightly into the hub 26 and is provided with series of holes 30 extending through the walls of the bearing and adapted to communicate the upper portion of each pocket 21 with the sur face of the pump shaft 3.

It is to be understood that the bearings described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention which is not to be considered as limited to the exact details of the devices as described but may be varied within limits, as dened by the claims.

I claim:

l. A bearing structure for vertical water-lubricated pump shaft bearings comprising a soft rubber sleeve bearing adapted to surround a rotating shaft, a rigid casing supporting said rubber sleeve bearing, pockets formed between the contacting faces of said sleeve and casing adapted to receive and retain a portion of the water being pumped, said pockets being provided intermediate their ends with fluid discharge passages communicating with the face of the bearing and fluid inlets through said casing communicating with said pockets above the level of said discharge passage.

2. A bearing structure for vertical, Waterlubricated pump shaft bearings comprising a soft rubber sleeve bearing adapted to surround a rotating shaft, a rigid casing tightly enclosing and supporting said rubber bearing, pockets formed between the contacting faces of said casing and bearing adapted to receive and retain a portion of the water being pumped, said pockets being provided intermediate their ends with fluid discharge ports communicating with the face of the bearing, at least one wall of said pockets being formed by the rubber sleeve and fluid inlets through saidcasing communicating with said pockets above the'level of said discharge ports.

3. A bearing structure, for vertical, waterlubricated pump shaft bearings comprising a spider for supporting the bearing in a well column, said spider being provided with a hub having a central, circular, axial opening adapted to receive and support a rubber bearing, a rubber bearing comprising a soft rubber cylinder adapted to flt tightly into the opening in said spider hub, said rubber cylinder being provided'with several series of radially disposed flats formed in the outer cylindrical surface thereof, each radial series of flats being separated longitudinally from the adjacent radial series of flats by a wall formed by the intervening body portion of the rubber cylinder, uid ports commenting the middle portion of said flats with the bearing surface, and iiuid ports for admitting well fluid to the upper end of the pockets formed by the walls of said flats and the spider hub.

4. A rubber bearing of the water lubricated type for use on a vertical shaft and comprising `soft rubber sleeve having recesses formed in the 6.5 a soft rubber sleeve having recesses formed in outer surface thereof, fluid passages communicating the middle portion of said recesses with the bore of said sleeve, a rigid sleeve tightly encasing said rubbervsleeve, and fluid passages through said rigid sleeve communicating the upper portion of said recesses with the exterior of said rigid sleeve.

6. A rubber bearing vof the water lubricated type for use on a vertical shaft, comprising a'soft rubber sleeve provided with pockets for receiving and retaining water, fluid passages communicating the middle portion of said pockets with the bore of said sleeve and fluid passages communicating the upper portion of said pockets with the exterior of said sleeve.

7. A rubber bearing of the water lubricated type for use on the'shaft of a deep well pump, comprising a soft rubber sleeve provided with pockets for receiving and retaining water, fluid passages communicating the middle portion of said pockets with the bore of said sleeve, fluid passages communicating the upper portion of said pockets with the exterior of said sleeve, and

a spider for supporting said bearing in a well column.

8. A rubber bearing of the water lubricated type for use on the vshaft of a deep well pump, comprising a soft rubberi'leeve having recesses formed in the outer surface thereof, a rigid sleeve tightly encasing said rubber sleeve, iiuid passages communicating the middle portion of said recesses with the bore of said rubber sleeve, uid passages communicating the upper portion of said l pockets with the exterior of said rigid sleeve, a

spider for supporting said rigid sleeve in a well column and spacing means between said rigid sleeve and said spider providing channels giving the well water access to the fluid passages in said rigid sleeve.

9. A rubber bearing of the water lubricated type for use on the shaft of a deep well pump, comprising a soft rubber sleeve provided with pockets adapted to receive and hold water, a rigid sleeve tightly encasing said bearing, fluid passages communicating the middle portion of said pockets with the bore of the bearing, uid passages communicating the upper portion of said pockets with the exterior of said rigid sleeve, and a spider for supporting said bearing in a. Well column, there being resilient means interposed between said rigid sleeve and said spider to vprovide said bearing with a resilient mounting.

10. A rubber bearing .of the water lubricated type for use on the shaft of a deep well pump',

comprising, a soft rubber sleeve providedv with pockets adapted to receive and retain water, a rigid sleeve tightly encasing said rubber sleeve, fluid passages communicating the middle portion of said pockets with the bore of said rubber sleeve, fiuid passages communicating the upper portion of said pockets with the exterior` of said rigid. sleeve, a spider for supporting said bearing vin a well column, and a resilient rubber ring interposed between said rigid sleeve and said spider providing a resilient mounting for said bearing. v

" ALADAR HOLLANDER. 

